Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:
According to the Forescout Administration Guide and Switch Plugin documentation, in a multi-site Distributed deployment, to ensure switch management traffic does not cross the WAN, you should "Change the switch settings by going to Options > Switch and select the switch and change the Connecting Appliance option".
Switch Management Traffic in Distributed Deployments:
In a multi-site deployment:
Local Appliance - Should manage switches at the same site (LAN)
Remote Appliance - Should NOT manage switches across WAN links
Traffic Optimization - Management traffic stays local to reduce WAN usage
Connecting Appliance Configuration:
According to the administration guide:
When a switch is discovered or needs to be managed by a specific appliance:
Navigate to Tools > Options > Switch
Select the switch from the list
Change the "Connecting Appliance" option
Select the local appliance that should manage this switch
Apply the configuration
This ensures management traffic stays local to the site where both the appliance and switch reside.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect:
A. Configure Switch Auto Discovery - Auto-discovery may assign switches incorrectly across WAN; manual assignment is needed for multi-site
B. Configure CLI username and password - While credentials are needed for management, this doesn't control which appliance connects to the switch
C. Configure Failover Clustering - Failover clustering is for appliance redundancy, not for controlling switch management traffic paths
D. Change via Option > Appliance > IP Assignment - This path manages appliance segment assignments, not individual switch connections
Best Practice for Multi-Site Deployments:
According to the administration guide:
text
Site A Site B
├─ Appliance A ├─ Appliance B
├─ Switch A-1 ├─ Switch B-1
│ └─ Managed by A✓│ └─ Managed by B✓
└─ Switch A-2 └─ Switch B-2
└─ Managed by A✓└─ Managed by B✓
NOT:
Appliance A managing Switch B-1 across WAN✗
Connecting Appliance Option Details:
According to the switch configuration documentation:
The "Connecting Appliance" setting:
Specifies which CounterACT appliance will manage the switch
Should be set to the appliance closest to the switch
Minimizes WAN traffic for switch management protocols (SNMP, SSH, Telnet)
Applies immediately without requiring appliance restart
Referenced Documentation:
Congratulations! You have now completed all 63 questions from the comprehensive FSCP exam preparation series with verified answers from official Forescout platform administration and deployment documentation. This comprehensive study guide covers all major topics required for the Forescout Certified Professional certification.
